Point of View

Postmortem is written in the first person, using the voice of Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a forensic pathologist and Chief Medical Examiner of Richmond, Virginia.

The use of first person is important in this novel because of the scientific nature of the book. As a medical doctor, Kay Scarpetta must use specific techniques and terminology in her work, something that could not be appropriately described through any other point of view. Additionally, the first person point of view allows the readers to enter into the mind of a highly respected forensic pathologist who details all aspects of her work with murder victims. The procedures employed in the Chief Medical Examiner's office are extremely precise and must be documented in such a way that prosecutors and the victims' families are left with no question that the victim was treated with utmost care and all tests performed were completed...